1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to conduits such as pipe, cable, waveguide and supports provided by a universal clamping system formed from a combination clamp and support structure with an interchangeable support structure mounting pad, mounting collar and interchangeable insert with a variety of cross section geometries to accommodate pipe, cable, waveguide and conduit shapes as required. The term conduit as used through the remainder of this description shall be taken as a generic term for pipes, cables, tubes, rods, wires, waveguides and other conveyances for liquids, electrical current and etc.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art contains a number of teachings of different clamps which have been developed over the years. Such clamps have been employed to engage or secure conduits in various configurations and on various surfaces; and have been mounted in different ways. Some clamps have been designed specifically to secure copper plumbing with the intent of preventing sound conduction from the pipe into the surrounding structure and preventing galvanic action or electrolysis. The invention described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,037,810 is a specific example.
Other clamp designs have been developed for mounting cable bundles having various shaped cross sections, mountings with self-locking anchors to secure the clamp to a surface mounting hole, and releasable clamp locking arrangements to secure either individual cables or cables bundles. Typical examples are designs described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,688, U.S. Pat. No. 4,317,262, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,153.
These designs address, in each case, a singular application and are not adaptable for uses other than the intended design. A need exists for a clamp design that serves many different applications, that has a releasable locking mechanism, and facilitates rapid installation to reduce labor and installation cost